Apparatus and method for forming event picture in mobile communication terminal

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for forming an event picture in a mobile communication terminal. If an event such as call reception, alarm or message reception occurs while a service picture is displayed on a screen of the terminal, the current service picture is backed up, a command input through the buttons provided to the terminal is interrupted and the event picture is overlapped over the current service picture, thereby allowing a user to perceive the corresponding event. Accordingly, the terminal user can correctly perceive the event occurred during the service. In addition, when the event occurs, the command input through the buttons is interrupted, so that it is possible to prevent an unintended event processing or erroneous operation due to an erroneous button manipulation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/972,475, filed on Aug. 21, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/052,836, filed on Mar. 21, 2011, nowissues as U.S. Pat. No. 8,532,626, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/183,506, filed on Jul. 31, 2008, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,925,242, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/354,608, filed on Feb. 14, 2006, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,420,566 and claims the benefit of and priorityfrom Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0012498, filed Feb. 15, 2005,which are all hereby incorporated by reference for all purpose as iffully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a formation of an event picture in amobile communication terminal, and more particularly to an apparatus anda method for forming an event picture in a mobile communication terminalallowing a user to correctly perceive an occurrence of an event toprevent an erroneous operation when any event occurs under state that aservice picture is displayed on a screen of the mobile communicationterminal.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In recent years, as a mobile communication technology has been rapidlydeveloped, many people use a mobile communication terminal such as PCSphone, cellular phone, PDA phone and the like. The mobile communicationterminal provides a variety of additional services such as electronicdiary, game, schedule management functions as well as an inherentcommunication service such as general voice communication, messagecommunication, wireless internet communication and the like.

The mobile communication terminal is provided with a keypad comprisingnumbers, characters, various function buttons and the like as one ofuser interfaces. A user can select and use the communication servicesand the various additional services such as electronic diary, game andschedule management functions through a keypad operation.

However, according to the mobile communication terminal of the priorart, if any event such as call reception, alarm or message receptionoccurs while a user of the terminal operates command input buttonsprovided to the terminal for using the services, rather than a stand-bystate, the terminal picture transitions to a picture for processing theoccurred event. At this time, if the terminal user continuously operatesthe buttons to input a command without perceiving the event occurrence,an unintended event may be processed or an erroneous operation mayoccur.

SUMMARY

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, an eventpicture is overlapped over a current service picture to graduallydisplay the event picture for allowing a user of a mobile communicationterminal to correctly perceive an event occurred during the service whenan event occurs while a service picture is displayed on the mobilecommunication terminal.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a commandinput is interrupted through a button provided to a mobile communicationterminal until a final event picture is displayed when an event occurswhile a service picture is displayed on the mobile communicationterminal, thereby preventing an unintended event processing or anerroneous operation due to an erroneous button manipulation when theevent occurs.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided anapparatus for forming an event picture in a mobile communicationterminal, the apparatus comprising an event processing module fornotifying event occurrence information when any event occurs under statethat a service picture is displayed on a screen of the mobilecommunication terminal; a picture backup module for backing up theservice picture displayed on the terminal screen when it is notified ofthe event occurrence information; and a picture synthesizing section foroverlapping an event picture over the backed up service picture todisplay the event picture on the terminal screen.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod for forming an event picture in a mobile communication terminal,the method comprising processes of checking whether an event occursunder state that a service picture is displayed on a screen of themobile communication terminal; backing up the service picture when theevent occurs as the check result; and overlapping an event occurrencepicture over the backed up service picture to display the event pictureon the terminal screen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for forming an eventpicture in a mobile communication terminal, according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for illustrating an operation for forming anevent picture in a mobile communication terminal, according to anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing a picture synthesis overlapping anevent picture over a service picture according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, a detailed description of known functions andconfigurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make thesubject matter unclear.

As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus for forming an event picture when anevent occurs in a mobile communication terminal according to anembodiment of the invention may comprise a picture backup module 11, abackup picture storing section 12, a picture synthesizing section 13, anevent processing module 14 and a button input section 15.

The picture backup module 11 backs up a service picture currentlydisplayed on a LCD screen of the terminal into the backup picturestoring section 12 when it is notified of an event occurrence. Thebackup picture storing section 12 serves to temporarily store thepicture backed up by the picture backup module 11.

The picture synthesizing section 13 overlaps an event picture over thebackup picture stored in the backup picture storing section 12 undercontrol of the event processing module 14 to display the event pictureon the LCD screen. After displaying a final event picture, it notifiesthe event processing module 14 of the result. At this time, a picturesynthesis transparency of the backup picture and the event picture maybe changed at a periodic time with a timer so that the picture displayedon the terminal screen is gradually displayed from the backup picture tothe event picture.

The event processing module 14 notifies the picture backup module 11 ofan event occurrence so that the picture backup module 11 backs up acurrent service picture, when any event occurs in the state that theservice picture is displayed on the LCD screen. At this time, the eventprocessing module 14 controls the button input section 15 to interrupt acommand input through the buttons of the terminal and transmits theevent picture information to the picture synthesizing section 13 tosynthesize the backup picture and the event picture. After that, when itis notified that a final event picture is displayed by the picturesynthesizing section 13, the event processing module 14 controls thebutton input section 15 to enable the command input through the buttonsagain and performs a corresponding event processing.

The button input section 15 comprises a keypad and senses an operationof a number, character or function buttons used for a variety ofservices provided in the terminal to receive the button information. Inaddition, the button input section 15 serves to temporarily interrupt acommand input through the buttons under control of the event processingmodule 14.

Hereinafter, a method for forming an event picture when an event occursin a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of theinvention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 2 and3.

First, when a user of the terminal performs a button input operation,the button input section 15 senses the button operation and receivescorresponding button information. When any event occurs such as callreception, alarm or message reception while the terminal user uses aservice through the button input (S21), the event processing module 14notifies the picture backup module 11 of the event occurrence andcontrols the button input section 15 to interrupt the command inputthrough the buttons (S22).

At this time, the picture backup module 11, which is notified of theevent occurrence from the event processing module 14, backs up theservice picture being currently displayed on the LCD screen of theterminal in the backup picture storing section 12. For example, it isassumed that the terminal user performs a button operation and thus apicture for setting service as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed on the LCDscreen. When the picture backup module 11 is notified of a callreception event occurrence from the event processing module 14 while theservice picture is being displayed, the picture backup module 11 backsup and stores the picture setting service picture (in FIG. 3B), which isthe current service picture, in the backup picture storing section 12(S23).

The event processing module 14 transmits the event picture informationto the picture synthesizing section 13. Thereby, the picturesynthesizing section 13 overlaps the event picture over the backuppicture, which is the service picture stored in the backup picturestoring section 12, thereby displaying the event picture on the terminalscreen (S24). At this time, a picture synthesis transparency between thebackup picture (FIG. 3B) and the event picture (FIG. 3G) may be changedat a periodic time with a timer so that the event picture is graduallydisplayed on the LCD screen. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3B to 3G, anoverlapping percent of the event ‘picture over the backup picture ischanged by 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% so that the picture displayed on theLCD screen is gradually displayed into the event picture.

After that, the picture synthesizing section 13 displays a callreception notifying picture, which is a final event picture as shown inFIG. 3G, on the terminal screen and then notifies the event processingmodule 14 of a result of the final event picture display (S25). When theevent processing module 14 is notified that the final event picture isdisplayed on the LCD screen, it controls the button input section 15 tocancel the interruption of the button input through the keypad, therebyenabling the button input again. Then, as certain buttons are inputted,it performs a corresponding event processing (S26).

As described above, according to the embodiments of the invention, whenany event occurs while a service picture is displayed on the terminal,the event picture is overlapped over the current service picture togradually display the event picture. Accordingly, the terminal user cancorrectly perceive the event occurred during the service. In addition,when the event occurs, a command input through the buttons isinterrupted until a final event picture is displayed, so that it ispossible to prevent an unintended erroneous operation due to anerroneous button manipulation when the event occurs.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madethereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying an event object in aterminal, comprising: displaying a current object on a screen of theterminal; overlapping the event object over the current object on thescreen in response to an event occurrence; removing the event objectfrom the screen automatically or according to a received user input; andstoring the current object in response to the event occurrence.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping the event objectover the current object comprises changing transparency of at least oneof the current object and the event object according to a time interval.3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the event object istranslucently overlapped over the current object during the timeinterval.
 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the event objectis translucently overlapped over the current object.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising interrupting a command inputtedto the terminal in response to an event occurrence.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, further comprising canceling the interruption ofthe command if a final event object is displayed on the screen.